UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Alumnus Stephen Rigo, Class of 2007, tailored his Penn State Smeal College of Business Executive MBA Program experience to help him build the business he’d been dreaming of for years.

Rigo graduated in 1992 from Penn State’s Health Policy Administration program and began working as a consultant in health care administration, helping health care providers run more efficiently and increase revenue. After more than 15 years, he wanted to see if he could make his business idea a reality.

“I always wanted to start a business, but I’m very cautious,” said Rigo. “I wanted to make sure I had the right skill sets going in. So I started talking to Dennis Sheehan (the Virginia and Louis Benzak Professor of Finance and then-faculty director of the EMBA Program) about how the EMBA Program could help me build my strengths in finance and marketing.”

“There was a lot going on in the classroom, and the students were all accomplished businesspeople. To top it off, they weren’t just listening and taking notes — they were engaged and participating.”

After a class visit, Rigo was sure that the Smeal EMBA Program was the place for him to grow the skills he needed to get his business off the ground.

“When I went in for a site visit, it blew my mind,” he said. “There was a lot going on in the classroom, and the students were all accomplished businesspeople. To top it off, they weren’t just listening and taking notes — they were engaged and participating.”

Throughout the EMBA process, Rigo was able to tweak certain assignments to help him develop his business plan, which also allowed for feedback from not only the faculty but the other students in his cohort.

“I was able to take everything I learned and build the business,” said Rigo. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the professors and the Penn State alumni network.”

“I have a continuing relationship with many of the professors as well as the students in my class. You can’t put a price on the value of that continuing, close-knit network; it’s a huge advantage.”

Rigo launched his business, Augusta Healthcare Inc., in 2011. The company aims to work with hospitals to give them a better perspective of their costs and help them make better decisions regarding patient charge practices. Though the company currently offers only a service, the next step for Rigo is to develop a cloud-based software product for health care providers to use.

“I have a continuing relationship with many of the professors as well as the students in my class,” he said. “I’m still using the network for connections in my business. You can’t put a price on the value of that continuing, close-knit network; it’s a huge advantage.”

About the Penn State Executive MBA ProgramLaunched in 2001, the Penn State Smeal Executive MBA Program is a 21-month program designed for working professionals with classes held on alternating weekends at the ACE Conference Center in suburban Philadelphia. The program features personalized executive coaching, intensive communication training, a weeklong international residency experience and coursework focused on the unique challenges of the students’ firms. Learn more at www.smeal.psu.edu/execmba.